- Age:6+
- Time:30 min
- Difficulty:Medium
- Mess level:Low
- Supervision:Yes
What is a Fidget Spinner?
A fidget spinner is a toy that usually has a ball bearing in the middle, but the centre can be any part that lets it spin around its axis. It typically has three arms, or legs, that are reinforced with metal or heavy plastic.
You hold the Spinner in the middle, by the ball bearing and use the force to spin it. Its aerodynamic properties make it spin for a long time without any other external force needed.
Fidget Spinner is very popular among children and that led it to even be banned from some schools! It is said Fidget spinner is great at helping children with ADHD, Autism and generally helping in coping with anxiety. But it’s important to note that research didn’t find any conclusive evidence for the usefulness of the Fidget Spinner.
Nevertheless, it is a great toy that did raise awareness about the ADHD disorder and problems with concentration that some children have. And that led to bigger efforts in helping those Children in coping with the disorder.
How Does the Fidget Spinner Work? The Science (Engineering) Behind It
It's all about friction! Try to roll a piece of wood and a piece of glass across the floor with the same force. Which one got further? The glass? Right. And why is that? Because the glass surface is smoother than the wood surface, so the friction between the glass and the floor is smaller.
Friction is all around us, be it from two surfaces touching each other, or from the Earth’s atmospheric air. If there were no friction, an object once set in motion would move forever - and that only happens in a vacuum.
What does it all have to do with the fidget spinner? A fidget spinner is designed to have the least possible friction or resistance between its middle part and the arms that spin around it. Designing, building, and finally playing with a fidget spinner can be an excellent intro to learning the laws of physics.
Newton’s first law says that an object will remain motionless, or in uniform motion in a straight line, unless acted upon by an external force. So until we spin our spinner, it will remain motionless. When we spin it, it will continue to move until it is stopped by another force - friction or gravity.
Newton’s second law says that the applied force and the mass of an object affect how fast the object will accelerate or decelerate. The bigger the mass of our fidget spinner, the longer it will rotate. We can test this with different coins that we attach to our spinner and see which one spins for the longest time.
Newton’s third law says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. A good example is friction itself. Friction is the force that resists motion when one surface presses against another, and it depends on how rough the touching surfaces are - smoother surfaces produce less friction. Friction is exactly why our spinner doesn't spin forever once we set it going.
Which spinner will spin for the longest time?
Make your prediction, then tap an answer to check!
Materials Needed for the Fidget Spinner
- Piece of Cardboard
- 3 coins
- Pencil
- Hot glue (or any, stronger glue)
- Toothpick
- Scissors (and bonus scalpel)
- Bonus: a piece of paper and a smartphone
Materials you will need to make Cardboard Fidget Spinner
Instructions for Making the Fidget Spinner
Watch the video at the beginning of the article for instructions on making the fidget spinner, or continue reading the instructions below.
👨👧 Adult supervision needed
This build uses a scalpel or scissors and hot glue, which can burn. An adult should handle the cutting and gluing, or closely supervise older children. Cut on a protected surface and let glued parts cool before spinning.
- The easiest way is to find the picture of a Fidget Spinner using your Smartphone, take a sheet of paper, put it on the screen and draw the shape on the paper.
- Using scissors, cut the shape from the paper.
- Put the paper on the Cardboard and draw the shape on the cardboard 2 times.
- Take one coin, and draw around it on the Cardboard 2 times.
- Now cut all shapes from the cardboard using Scissors or Scalpel - you will get 2 circles from coin and 2 Fidget Spinner shapes.
- Take 1 part of the Fidget Spinner, and using a glue, attach each coin at the edges - one coin at the edge of every leg.
- Now put the glue on top of the coins, and attach the second part of the Fidget Spinner on top of them.
- Using a Toothpick (or you can also use a needle if the Cardboard is too hard) to pierce through the center of your two circles and the Fidget spinner.
- Use Toothpick to attach every Cardboard circle on each side of the Fidget spinner.
- Using Scissors, cut the extra Toothpick on every side so it is aligned with the circles.
- Use glue to attach a toothpick to the circles so it doesn’t fall apart.
- And you’re done! It’s time to give it a spin!
Fidget Spinner in action
What Will You Learn Making Your Own Fidget Spinner?
- Newton’s laws of motion and how different forces act on motion
- Mechanical principles of motion
- Gross motor skills and fine motor skills
- Hand-eye coordination
Key takeaways
- A fidget spinner spins for a long time because it's built to have the least possible friction between its centre and its arms.
- Newton's first law: the spinner stays still until you spin it, and keeps spinning until friction and gravity stop it.
- Newton's second law: more mass (heavier coins) means it keeps spinning longer - a perfect thing to test and time.
- Newton's third law and friction explain why nothing spins forever outside a vacuum.
- Research never proved fidget spinners help with focus or ADHD, but the craze did raise awareness of attention differences in children.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a fidget spinner at home?
Trace a spinner shape onto paper, cut it out, and use it as a template to cut two matching shapes from cardboard. Glue a coin to the tip of each arm, sandwich the two shapes together, then push a toothpick through the centre with a cardboard circle on each side so it can spin. The full step-by-step is in the instructions above.
What is the science behind a fidget spinner?
It's mostly about friction and Newton's laws of motion. The spinner is designed to minimise friction at its centre, so once you give it a push (a force) its mass keeps it rotating until friction and gravity gradually slow it down.
Why does a fidget spinner spin for so long?
Because there is very little friction where the arms meet the centre, and because the mass concentrated in the arms gives it rotational inertia. Heavier arms store more of that spinning motion, so it takes longer for friction to stop them.
Do fidget spinners actually help with ADHD or anxiety?
They were marketed that way, but research has not found conclusive evidence that they improve focus or help with ADHD, autism, or anxiety. Some children do find the repetitive motion soothing, so it's best judged case by case.
What household materials do I need to make one?
Just a piece of cardboard, three coins, a toothpick, glue, scissors (a scalpel helps), and a pencil. A smartphone and a sheet of paper are handy for tracing a spinner shape to use as a template.
If you enjoyed making a fidget spinner, you should also check out other fun engineering activities:
- Build your own Catapult and launch paper balls
- Make the Cardboard Castle for your Prince or Princess
- Launch to the moon using a Match Rocket
